[Surrey] Park Place | 2*36fl Phase 1 | Completed [Archive] - Page 8

jhausner

Sep 15, 2011, 3:55 PM

Ya they'll do just about anything to sell a condo.

"In 10 years it's population will pass Vancouver and become the lower mainland's regional and economic centre."

:rolleyes:

It has a better chance of becoming the regional center if done right. Have my doubts about economic though that's a bit too ambitious I think at this stage. It's not impossible (well it is in 10 years only) though because downtown Vancouver for a city its size is extremely undersized from an economic standpoint. The vast majority of it is residential and supporting retail. Most other major cities in the world have much larger commercial focus in the downtown.

But regionally though I think Surrey would be hard pressed to become the "economic center." Regional center though, that could happen quite easily. Surrey is a lot more central regionally and as Abbotsford International Airport grows, with a transit connection and all the transport upgrades South of Fraser, it would be faster to get to central Surrey than downtown Vancouver. Downtown Vancouver is, if you look at a map, really far off in the top corner of the region.

The only benefit it has right now geographically over Surrey is the fact the higher population centers of the region would need to cross the Fraser River to get to Surrey.

Not 10 years though. Not the pace things are going now unless in the next 5 years we see 20 proposals for new commercial and business towers + a major shift in the central residential projects aka the creation of those 'mixed-use corridors.'

The video though is just trying to upsell the units to make more sales. :cool:

geoff's two cents

Sep 15, 2011, 8:01 PM

The east side of Park Place facing E. Whalley Blvd. turned out much nicer than I expected, despite a lack of street-facing retail and/or townhomes. The retail section adjacent to Skytrain is also shaping up very nicely, and the width of the sidewalk along KGB is impressive! I'm much less pessimistic about this particular project than I was several months ago, even if the usual qualifiers still apply.

skymaster

Oct 6, 2011, 12:34 AM

Anybody go to the open house?

m9col

Oct 6, 2011, 3:10 AM

Anybody go to the open house?

I have scheduled mine for next weekend, has anybody actually gone yet? I believe they started doing walk throughs on Oct 4th...if so provide some details if possible.

jhausner

Oct 6, 2011, 6:05 AM

I have scheduled mine for next weekend, has anybody actually gone yet? I believe they started doing walk throughs on Oct 4th...if so provide some details if possible.

I went on my inspection of my 1 bedroom Tuesday morning. Will post some pics tomorrow if I remember.

I am extremely impressed. The buildings turned out better than I had anticipated and my unit was near perfect. Was just a few things like a small paint smudge on a light in the bathroom so just minor cleanup items. View is also better than expected. I am in tower 2 facing Mount Baker. Also liked the security measures especially the fact owners' key fobs only allow them onto their own floor aka someone on floor 10 can only get to floor 10.

Ammenity space also is quite impressive. Thought i was in a 5 star hotel. If Concord follows the same level of professionalism for the Park Avenue project upcoming in the next 4 years the standard of living in that area will go up nicely.

Glad i had patience and held onto my unit.

jhausner

Oct 6, 2011, 7:17 PM

Just of note, the photos don't do sizes justice. The place is 577 square feet (1 bedroom) and it feels quite well sized when you're inside. The photos of the living room make it look smaller than it actually is. Also the ammenity space is quite vast especially the gym which could give professional gyms a run for their money size wise. Again photos don't do them justice but they are quite large.

1. Looking towards Mount Baker (hidden by clouds)
2. Towards Hospital
3. Towards CRA building
4. Bedroom Closet
5. Testing sink overflow
6. Washer and Dryer
7. Fridge
8. Stove
9. Main closet in entrance
10. Looking from Kitchen towards living room
11. Bathroom Tub
12. Bedroom + carpet looking towards living room
13. Living Room left
14. Living room right
15. Looking back at kitchen from living room
16. Yoga room towards corner 100th/whalley blvd
17. Yoga room exit into Gym
18. Gym (being used by the Concord team as a meeting room)
19. Gym towards changing rooms

http://www.bcgolfpages.com/myplace/6211572895_b3416a143a_DSC0006_O.jpg
http://www.bcgolfpages.com/myplace/6212084778_17fce088ba_DSC0007_O.jpg
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officedweller

Oct 6, 2011, 7:59 PM

Thanks for the pics.
Did you take any pics of the commercial building being built down below?

(BTW, that sink looks a bit like a toilet seat)

m9col

Oct 6, 2011, 11:38 PM

Looks really good, I have the same unit in the same tower except with the other color scheme, cant wait to check it out.

Cypherus

Oct 7, 2011, 4:55 AM

Good luck to jhausner and m9col with your purchases. Here's hoping you don't have terrible renters in the building, or the incessant tenant/owner in the unit above you who is a heel walker on laminate floors.

jhausner

Oct 7, 2011, 8:07 PM

Solid concrete tower so I don't think noise will be a huge factor (barring really loud music or what have you). It is actually surprisingly quiet when you close everything up (window and patio). Can't even hear the SkyTrain or traffic.

And yes lol the sink kind of does look like that.

As for renters, _ALL_ renters have to go through the rental management company from my understanding which requires them to be screened. Obviously you can't be 100% sure but I believe they are pushing really hard to make sure there aren't major issues with rental units in the building. The odds are higher unfortunately since there are over 700 units but I'm not worried. It's part of life and will deal with it when and if I have to deal with it. :)

I didn't take any pictures of the commercial building unfortunately. I may when I get back from vacation in a few weeks but they are looking great. The portion facing the towers (away from skytrain) is pretty much completed. Looks to me like they are just doing finishing touches. Stairs are all done with just some landscaping.

Also the inner court yard is pretty much all completed that's where I parked and the retail units (1 to 6) are at the base of the 2 towers facing inside teh court yard. They don't front Whalley Blvd or 100th obviously but it makes a nice little community space.

So when done there will be 6 retail units under the 2 towers and then the commercial building on the other side. There will also be retail at the base of the next phase of that block which according to Concord right now will be Phase 2 of Park Avenue, Phase 1 being the old Sky Towers development.

officedweller

Oct 7, 2011, 8:24 PM

Thanks for the info.

m9col

Oct 12, 2011, 1:57 AM

jlousa

Oct 12, 2011, 2:28 AM

That would be a very unusual condition, would have to look into it, but it might even be illegal to obligate anyone to a single rental management company. If it is a condition that should be repealed at the first strata meeting.
Anyways congrats and hope you enjoy your new place.

m9col

Oct 16, 2011, 7:44 AM

I had my walkthrough today and I was impressed as the building and unit are nicer than I thought they would be.

I also asked if its true about the rental management company having to screen all renters and they said thats not the case, if you want to manage your own unit and find a renter or rent to a family member then they will not get involved unless there are issues and strata rule violations then the property managers will exercise their rights.

Diet Butcher

Oct 19, 2011, 1:23 PM

When are the first move ins happening?

m9col

Oct 20, 2011, 2:43 PM

When are the first move ins happening?

They told me mid November on into mid December and that the moves would be low floors, mid floors, high floors. Not sure what order but they will be done in stages. I hope this gets going soon because I still havent received the letter about the completion date.

VancouverPM

Oct 20, 2011, 9:12 PM

I'm sure Concord will push to have any renters go through Prompton on the individual suite, after all Prompton is a company owned by Concord at the end of the day.

skymaster

Oct 21, 2011, 2:16 AM

They said around mid November for our move in date. We are on the 23rd floor. So I'm assuming everything will be completed by early December.

yvr_surrey

Oct 21, 2011, 4:41 AM

Are walk-thrus limited to the unit or including amenity space as well? Any word on who is renting commercial space?

m9col

Oct 22, 2011, 3:49 AM

jhausner

Oct 22, 2011, 6:07 AM

I noticed jhausner's pictures of some of the amenities areas but when I did my walk through I asked if I could take a look and they said they were working on them and that they were too busy to show the amenities so we can take a good look at them when we pickup our keys.

They told me the same thing but I said we had 1 hour scheduled and had only used 40 min for the inspection so we had time and she said good point and showed us the ammenity space. We couldnt go in because they were working on it but I just wanted to see it all from the main bridge hallway.

As for rental yes i would imagine they cant force anyone but would really try to encourage that you use their company.

skymaster

Nov 8, 2011, 4:38 AM

Here are some of the amenities

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh285/z_roadster08/Park%20Place%20Towers/Screenshot2011-11-07at10724PM.png

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh285/z_roadster08/Park%20Place%20Towers/Screenshot2011-11-07at13359PM.png

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh285/z_roadster08/Park%20Place%20Towers/Screenshot2011-11-07at13406PM.png

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh285/z_roadster08/Park%20Place%20Towers/Screenshot2011-11-07at13425PM.png

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh285/z_roadster08/Park%20Place%20Towers/Screenshot2011-11-07at13435PM.png

m9col

Nov 10, 2011, 7:00 PM

Spoke with Concord yesterday and the letters with the completion dates went out to everyone on floors 2 - 18, the rest will be sent out in the next two weeks. First people to have Completion will start on Nov 22 with posession the next day. People on the higher floors are looking at mid-December.

Also another FYI, there was some confusion that the tax for original purchasers with discounts was going to be applied to the purchase price rather than the sale price but they have scratched that and have confirmed that it will be on the discounted price....the wording of the original papers sounded like the credit would be applied after all of the other numbers have been done but they said that wont be a problem.

m9col

Nov 24, 2011, 9:29 PM

If anyone gets some pictures of the amenities in person try and post them, havent been able to take a look yet but hear they are pretty nice and the gym has high quality equipment.

skymaster

Nov 26, 2011, 6:39 AM

This project I guess could go under the complete section since people have finally started to move in. Also, I noticed now that they light up the crowns of all three buildings at night now.

skymaster

Dec 12, 2011, 7:30 AM

It surprised me how large the underground parking for these towers are. It is quite massive.

jhausner

Dec 13, 2011, 7:20 PM

I'm on P3 and it takes me almost 2 minutes to get to the top. Not just the mass but also the fact there are really no signs lol. I've watched dozens of people going around in circles completely lost.

Fun times. Can't wait until we can use all 3 elevators instead of just 1 due to all the move ins lol.

Building is very nice though! Very much enjoying my morning view of the sunrise over Mount Baker (when it isn't cloudy).

vanman

Dec 13, 2011, 7:45 PM

You get a morning view of the sunset?:D

webster

Dec 13, 2011, 7:55 PM

good to hear everybody's moving in

what's the demographic like?

any guess as to how many units are/will be rented?

jhausner

Dec 13, 2011, 9:44 PM

You get a morning view of the sunset?:D

Lol. Sunrise I meant. :cheers:

jhausner

Dec 13, 2011, 9:47 PM

good to hear everybody's moving in

what's the demographic like?

any guess as to how many units are/will be rented?

Not sure. So far I'd say 75-80% of the people I've run into are of asian descent. Quite a lot of younger people and/or couples. For renters I've run into a few so far who were all either SFU or UBC students.

As for actual numbers, it would all just be a guess on my part. The parking lots seem to be quite empty so that either indicates 1 or both of that people moving in don't have cars and/or quite a few units are still unoccupied as they will be rental units.

yvr_surrey

Dec 14, 2011, 5:31 PM

Any word on whether they will open free visitor parking? Is it normal to not have any visitor parking between 700+ condos esp. since there is no street parking in the neighborhood?

WaxItYourself

Dec 15, 2011, 12:41 AM

Any word on whether they will open free visitor parking? Is it normal to not have any visitor parking between 700+ condos esp. since there is no street parking in the neighborhood?
they can always park in the parking lot across the street. But I agree visitor parking is needed. Probably when they finish building the parking lot and doing the landscaping for the little mall and coffee shop.

jhausner

Dec 15, 2011, 6:49 PM

I was told by Concord that visitor parking is the pay parking underground. There will be no free visitor parking. I believe it is the same downtown Vancouver aka difficult to find free visitor parking.

In fairness the cost is fairly cheap. $3 total after 6pm and on weekends.

officedweller

Dec 16, 2011, 12:31 AM

That's no good.
So a friend drives into town from Alberta, crashes at your place for a week, and he/she has to pay to park the car? Pay parking may work for short term (i.e. a party, etc., since residents usually only get one visitor parking pass) but there's definitely value in having it.
In downtown Vancouver, condo residents usually have one visitor parking pass and it's first come first served (some with a 24 hour limit unless permission is obtained from the manager).

jhausner

Dec 16, 2011, 4:47 PM

Yah not sure again. Whenever I probe deeper with Concord they tell me to talk to the management company and when I talk to them they tell me that they are limited until a new Strata council is elected.

*shrug* I would be surprised if at some stage we don't get some sort of visitor's pass.

jlousa

Dec 16, 2011, 6:23 PM

Not unusual at all, many new downtown condos do not have any visitor parking period. Heck some don't even provide parking for all owners.

osirisboy

Dec 16, 2011, 6:46 PM

Not unusual at all, many new downtown condos do not have any visitor parking period. Heck some don't even provide parking for all owners.

really?? im surprised. what large new developments dont have any? (I could maybe see smaller ones not having any but not a large scale development)

jlousa

Dec 16, 2011, 8:53 PM

jsbertram

Dec 16, 2011, 9:11 PM

Not unusual at all, many new downtown condos do not have any visitor parking period. Heck some don't even provide parking for all owners.

Some buildings use a few of the parking spaces for the eco-green cars that tenants can share.

Quite useful when you have to get to Ikea for that one piece of StiGma that you have room for now that you're in the new condo.

osirisboy

Dec 16, 2011, 10:47 PM

The city is also no longer pushing for guest parking as they want to do everything they can to keep costs done, plus be seen as green.

Ugh, of course. Im so sick of "green" BS

officedweller

Dec 17, 2011, 12:51 AM

Woodwards doesn't have a single stall of vistor parking and it's well over 500units. That's the biggest one I'm aware of, there are numerous others as well.
Remember that the cost of providing that guest parking is ultimately paid for by the owners so it's not really a bad thing not having it. The city is also no longer pushing for guest parking as they want to do everything they can to keep costs down, plus be seen as green.

That's a special situation though, as parking for the complex is supposed to be provided the City-owned *cough*-*conflict* across the street, linked by skybridge.

Olympic Village buildings have visitor parking.

Diet Butcher

Mar 17, 2012, 5:58 PM

Any word on when they plan to start on the next phases?

jhausner

Mar 18, 2012, 6:56 AM

Old Sky Towers project first as it has a development permit. Not sure if they are 1) waiting for the remaining units to be sold in Park Place (they have 35-40 left to sell) or 2) working out the details to get it on the market before the 46 storey tower behind them goes on sale.

Both the old Sky Towers (Park Avenue by Concord) and the 1 behind them (not sure the name) now have development permits and could start construction basically tomorrow.

My best guess, you'll see movement May -> July.

Track

Mar 18, 2012, 2:29 PM

Was the plan to build another tower in the space between the current park place buildings and the skytrain track? I seem to remember that being proposed, but i'm not quite sure

Cypherus

Mar 18, 2012, 5:07 PM

Was the plan to build another tower in the space between the current park place buildings and the skytrain track? I seem to remember that being proposed, but i'm not quite sure

Two more towers are planned by Concord in the location provided, called Park Avenue towers. There are no presale openings for these towers as of yet, particularly because Park Avenue is anticipated for construction in mid-2012 with completion by mid-2014.

Track

Mar 18, 2012, 7:01 PM

That certainly makes the development make more sense; I always thought that it was odd that there was such a large gap between the Park Place towers and the skytrain itself that seem to not be in use.

jhausner

Mar 19, 2012, 5:36 PM

CoryHolmes

Mar 20, 2012, 4:45 AM

So far that's the only thing the sales personel at Concord seem to agree on. The Sky Towers towers (across the street from current Park Place) will be phase 1 of Park Avenue and done first (2012 - 2014 was was said above) followed by Phase 2 which will be the remaining 2 towers in that gap between park place and the skytrain.
Has anything been said about the layout or floor plans yet? The last time I walked through the Park Place show room, I asked about larger suites and the Sales Lady told me that they were looking into that. Personally, I would love to have more (and larger) 2 bedroom, 2 room+den suites to choose from.

Honestly, I can't see that much demand for 4-500 sqft. spaces given the state of the economy. Not many students or first-timers willing/able to spluge.

When I moved in here (Park Place) I was told the 2 last towers between here and Sky Train were 4 to 5 years away. That would line up then.

How is Park Place? I remember a post in the Infinity thread giving a scathing review of the living conditions and/or neighbours to contend with. Also, how is that giant amenity building working out? I walked through the site a few days ago and was quite impressed with what I saw :)

jhausner

Mar 21, 2012, 5:20 PM

Has anything been said about the layout or floor plans yet? The last time I walked through the Park Place show room, I asked about larger suites and the Sales Lady told me that they were looking into that. Personally, I would love to have more (and larger) 2 bedroom, 2 room+den suites to choose from.

Honestly, I can't see that much demand for 4-500 sqft. spaces given the state of the economy. Not many students or first-timers willing/able to spluge.

Seems to be lots of demand for renting.

Only thing I've been told is that Concord had no options with Park Place as they were already 50% completed in construction. For the former SkyTowers buildings, they will most likely largely stay the same too seeing as permits are already in place.

For the final 2 towers, seeing as nothing has gone to council yet Concord can do whatever they want so they could be very much different from all the others and from the original Infinity Phase 3 plans.

I'd bank on that myself.

How is Park Place? I remember a post in the Infinity thread giving a scathing review of the living conditions and/or neighbours to contend with. Also, how is that giant amenity building working out? I walked through the site a few days ago and was quite impressed with what I saw :)

So far so good. My opinion though, as an owner, is that I can tell who rents and who owns in the building already.

Delicate balance though. If the Strata along with the concierge and building management keep on renters to follow the bylaws and not be complete prats then things will be fine. I've also heard that Infinity 1 (first tower) has improved quite a bit over the last year. They've put in concierge service now too and are getting more agressive with problem occupants.

There will always be issues in a project this size, but for the most part things are good. The units are fairly quiet and I can only rarely hear my neighbors. The management company is on people though when there are complaints which is a good sign. Means things won't slip through the cracks. I've even received a notice myself for my car leaking a bit of oil. Didn't even know. Went down and looked and went "Oh what do you know" so have been cleaning it up.

It's a good thing.

As for the ammenity space, there are still some quirks being worked out. I rented out the second floor space last Sunday and it was a bit of a pain ferrying people from the ground floor up. They don't enable your own fob for the duration so you need a lent one. They are working on it though so that eventually when you rent out the space, people calling your buzzer # will allow them through to the 2nd floor space too.

Also the visitor parking is a bit problematic. It's nice to have it but right now you need to fill out a form, put it on the dash, and then run down and use the lent key-fob (your own personal one doesn't work) to get into the visitor space. When your guests want to leave you have to run down with them to let them through the gate so they can get out. The visitor parking really shouldn't be in the Infinity section and/or there should be a second gate blocking their parking so our key fobs will let us in and out.

I know they don't want people parking in the visitors all the time causing issues but right now it is way easier just to tell my guests to pay the $3 on evenings and weekends to park rather than the pain in the arseness to run around.

Other issue I've heard complaints about are the elevators and the door buzzer. When your guest buzzes in, it allows them to your floor only for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately OFTEN if an elevator is already at the main floor, it won't get told electronically so when the guest gets into it, they press your floor, nothing happens. Tis causes a huge amount of confusion and I've had to been buzzed 2 or 3 times then eventually had to go down to get my guest a few times when that happens. Also often with all the moving and such, the front doors are open, so guests will just walk in and jump in an elevator thinking they can go up. They press your floor, nothing again. More confusion.

Most of the issues surround the elevators just not working 100% right yet.

All stuff that will need to be tweaked and adjusted as time goes on. They need to do some tweaking there. But if those are my only real complaints so far, I think things are good. I really like my unit.

Cypherus

Mar 21, 2012, 5:35 PM

Seems to be lots of demand for renting.

So far so good. My opinion though, as an owner, is that I can tell who rents and who owns in the building already.

Delicate balance though. If the Strata along with the concierge and building management keep on renters to follow the bylaws and not be complete prats then things will be fine. I've also heard that Infinity 1 (first tower) has improved quite a bit over the last year. They've put in concierge service now too and are getting more agressive with problem occupants.

There will always be issues in a project this size, but for the most part things are good. The units are fairly quiet and I can only rarely hear my neighbors. The management company is on people though when there are complaints which is a good sign. Means things won't slip through the cracks. I've even received a notice myself for my car leaking a bit of oil. Didn't even know. Went down and looked and went "Oh what do you know" so have been cleaning it up.

It's a good thing.

As for the ammenity space, there are still some quirks being worked out. I rented out the second floor space last Sunday and it was a bit of a pain ferrying people from the ground floor up. They don't enable your own fob for the duration so you need a lent one. They are working on it though so that eventually when you rent out the space, people calling your buzzer # will allow them through to the 2nd floor space too.

Also the visitor parking is a bit problematic. It's nice to have it but right now you need to fill out a form, put it on the dash, and then run down and use the lent key-fob (your own personal one doesn't work) to get into the visitor space. When your guests want to leave you have to run down with them to let them through the gate so they can get out. The visitor parking really shouldn't be in the Infinity section and/or there should be a second gate blocking their parking so our key fobs will let us in and out.

I know they don't want people parking in the visitors all the time causing issues but right now it is way easier just to tell my guests to pay the $3 on evenings and weekends to park rather than the pain in the arseness to run around.

Other issue I've heard complaints about are the elevators and the door buzzer. When your guest buzzes in, it allows them to your floor only for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately OFTEN if an elevator is already at the main floor, it won't get told electronically so when the guest gets into it, they press your floor, nothing happens. Tis causes a huge amount of confusion and I've had to been buzzed 2 or 3 times then eventually had to go down to get my guest a few times when that happens. Also often with all the moving and such, the front doors are open, so guests will just walk in and jump in an elevator thinking they can go up. They press your floor, nothing again. More confusion.

Most of the issues surround the elevators just not working 100% right yet.

All stuff that will need to be tweaked and adjusted as time goes on. They need to do some tweaking there. But if those are my only real complaints so far, I think things are good. I really like my unit.

I was talking to a co-worker about his unit and he said that it was a big surprise when he moved in versus what he thought he was getting in the presale. This was stemming from 34 deficiencies he noted in his own unit which have are being remedied by the developer in slow succession. He also said he has to contend with renters above him who are stomping on the floor all night long. He is adamant that the developer did not install sound proof underlay in between the concrete floor and laminate flooring. He is looking to sell his unit but admitted he bought high and the market has not appreciated enough to walk away unscathed. So he is holding. However, he did say the Strata is doing a good job weeding out those bad seeds that you usually see in brand new buildings.

I actually was interested in Park Place since units are still available, but your post and his polarizing view makes me hesitant to the extent that I might as well wait for Holland Point.

jhausner

Mar 21, 2012, 5:59 PM

I was talking to a co-worker about his unit and he said that it was a big surprise when he moved in versus what he thought he was getting in the presale. This was stemming from 34 deficiencies he noted in his own unit which have are being remedied by the developer in slow succession. He also said he has to contend with renters above him who are stomping on the floor all night long. He is adamant that the developer did not install sound proof underlay in between the concrete floor and laminate flooring. He is looking to sell his unit but admitted he bought high and the market has not appreciated enough to walk away unscathed. So he is holding. However, he did say the Strata is doing a good job weeding out those bad seeds that you usually see in brand new buildings.

I actually was interested in Park Place since units are still available, but your post and his polarizing view makes me hesitant to the extent that I might as well wait for Holland Point.

Holland Point will be no different. That's the life in a large scale high-rise building unfortunately.

As for the stomping above, not sure about that in his case. I have only a few times heard things from people above me and they were extremely faint bumps. I've also asked my neighbors about sound from my place and they don't hear my music or TV and I tend to have it loud.

When things are completely quiet aka you're coming to sleep and everything is off, then you can hear some sounds if people are jumping around, have their TV up very loud, or are yelling. I _have_ heard my neighbors yelling a few times but not loud enough that I could make any words out and it was only when everything in my place was completely quiet.

Having grown up in townhouses, I can say the units are WAY quietter than a townhouse with wood frame construction. Your friend is either used to detached homes, or his neighbors are extremely crazy and making a lot of noise.

My beefs are minor. For my unit, there were 3 minor defficiencies and it was mainly grout clean up when I went through my inspection. They were all fixed by the time I moved in. I had my washer break, something was wrong with my dish washer after 3 uses, and my microwave burned a hole in the side afrer about 5 uses. All were fixed by Trail Appliances within a week and I can't really fault the developer for those issues.

I don't know your friend but 34 defficiencies seems a bit high. Either he got extremely unlucky or he is extremely picky. I've spoken to about 50 owners so far off and on in the building and all have shared the same opinion as me. Units are great, elevators are a bit problematic but improving, overall everything is good and the issues are minor and being looked into which is comforting.

My opinion though may be tempered by the fact that I purchased my unit back when they originally went on sale as Infinity Phase 2. After discounts from Concord and a whole slew of things thrown in, I ended up paying imo next to nothing for my unit. It is already assessed $80,000 higher than what I paid. With 20% down on it too that may be why my opinion is a bit more tempered than your friend. If you friend paid the max amount then I probably would be as picky as they are.

Noisy neighbors though regardless should and from what I can see, are being dealt with. Takes time though. Not like the strata or management company can go in and put them in hand cuffs.

Like I said though, life in a high-rise tower. I have friends who live in towers in Burnaby and downtown, some old, and some new in Yaletown. All experience exactly the same issues.

tybuilding

Mar 21, 2012, 7:57 PM

I didn't realize until this week that the commercial building has a green roof. I see there are some small grass plants growing in the soil and there is a sprinkler system. I suggested to the Infinity developers back in 2005 that there should be a green roof on that building as there is a lot of hard surfaces in the development by the look of the models in the presentation centre back then.

jhausner

Mar 21, 2012, 8:18 PM

Yah. It's quite nice actually. It will be even nicer when retail/commercial starts to finally move in.

hollywoodnorth

Mar 21, 2012, 8:49 PM

can someone take a few photos of it for us Downtowner's please????? :)

whalley13

Mar 21, 2012, 9:40 PM

any rumours on commercial tenants and timelines for them moving in?

CoryHolmes

Mar 22, 2012, 2:48 AM

It is already assessed $80,000 higher than what I paid.

Aaaaand this is the comment that made me cross you off my Christmas Card List :whip: Seriously, congradulations.

I'm happy that your living conditions are much better than the previous post I'd heard about. That gives me hope for looking at a Sky Tower suite :)

BodomReaper

Mar 22, 2012, 3:17 AM

can someone take a few photos of it for us Downtowner's please????? :)

Lucky for you I visited Central City today, so I snapped these from the top floor of the SFU campus! I wanted to take a more thorough tour through the actual development itself, but my friends were getting cranky and demanded to leave :(

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z403/BodomReaper666/DSC_0013.jpg

http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z403/BodomReaper666/DSC_0014.jpg

Cypherus

Mar 22, 2012, 3:46 AM

Holland Point will be no different. That's the life in a large scale high-rise building unfortunately.

As for the stomping above, not sure about that in his case. I have only a few times heard things from people above me and they were extremely faint bumps. I've also asked my neighbors about sound from my place and they don't hear my music or TV and I tend to have it loud.

When things are completely quiet aka you're coming to sleep and everything is off, then you can hear some sounds if people are jumping around, have their TV up very loud, or are yelling. I _have_ heard my neighbors yelling a few times but not loud enough that I could make any words out and it was only when everything in my place was completely quiet.

Having grown up in townhouses, I can say the units are WAY quietter than a townhouse with wood frame construction. Your friend is either used to detached homes, or his neighbors are extremely crazy and making a lot of noise.

My beefs are minor. For my unit, there were 3 minor defficiencies and it was mainly grout clean up when I went through my inspection. They were all fixed by the time I moved in. I had my washer break, something was wrong with my dish washer after 3 uses, and my microwave burned a hole in the side afrer about 5 uses. All were fixed by Trail Appliances within a week and I can't really fault the developer for those issues.

I don't know your friend but 34 defficiencies seems a bit high. Either he got extremely unlucky or he is extremely picky. I've spoken to about 50 owners so far off and on in the building and all have shared the same opinion as me. Units are great, elevators are a bit problematic but improving, overall everything is good and the issues are minor and being looked into which is comforting.

My opinion though may be tempered by the fact that I purchased my unit back when they originally went on sale as Infinity Phase 2. After discounts from Concord and a whole slew of things thrown in, I ended up paying imo next to nothing for my unit. It is already assessed $80,000 higher than what I paid. With 20% down on it too that may be why my opinion is a bit more tempered than your friend. If you friend paid the max amount then I probably would be as picky as they are.

Noisy neighbors though regardless should and from what I can see, are being dealt with. Takes time though. Not like the strata or management company can go in and put them in hand cuffs.

Like I said though, life in a high-rise tower. I have friends who live in towers in Burnaby and downtown, some old, and some new in Yaletown. All experience exactly the same issues.

Thanks for sharing your experience. From hindsight, it appears his negative experience may be an isolated case and somewhat over-the-top in terms of pickiness. I currently live in a low rise condo, and despite the building being only 1.5 years old, it already had its first flood caused by a burst sprinkler system in the attic. It flooded 2 units and caused thousands in damage. The cause was improper installation and poor insulation from outside elements. The flood details in the meeting minutes are going to make any prospective buyer turn away. So current owners are going to be taking a hit. To me, I'd rather live in a high quality, concrete-constructed building like Park Place with the odd noisy neighbors that will quiet down over time once strata exerts its control, then a low-rise wood-frame building with low quality construction but with quiet neighbors. It's clear that hi-rises seem to be the better investment and your resale value is a great example of it.

Cypherus

Mar 22, 2012, 3:53 AM

Thanks for the pictures. It's amazing how Infinity already looks out-dated like it was built in the 90s....

BodomReaper

Mar 22, 2012, 4:38 AM

100% agreed. Infinity I is a disaster in almost every regard - street interaction, form (I thought we were done with slabs in the 70's), color, glazing, and mechanical penthouse/roof treatment. The two newer towers are a considerable improvement architecturally, but nothing can ever compensate for killing off the corner of King George Blvd. and 100 Avenue :hell:

skymaster

Mar 22, 2012, 4:56 AM

Thanks for the pictures. It's amazing how Infinity already looks out-dated like it was built in the 90s....

I'm not a fan of the design at all either. Hopefully Ultra turns out nice. I'll take a night time shot of this sometime soon from the same view. They have the crowns of the buildings all lit up now.

jhausner

Mar 22, 2012, 7:54 PM

Thanks for sharing your experience. From hindsight, it appears his negative experience may be an isolated case and somewhat over-the-top in terms of pickiness. I currently live in a low rise condo, and despite the building being only 1.5 years old, it already had its first flood caused by a burst sprinkler system in the attic. It flooded 2 units and caused thousands in damage. The cause was improper installation and poor insulation from outside elements. The flood details in the meeting minutes are going to make any prospective buyer turn away. So current owners are going to be taking a hit. To me, I'd rather live in a high quality, concrete-constructed building like Park Place with the odd noisy neighbors that will quiet down over time once strata exerts its control, then a low-rise wood-frame building with low quality construction but with quiet neighbors. It's clear that hi-rises seem to be the better investment and your resale value is a great example of it.

Funny thing they've already had a flood in Park Place too. Some people were flushing sanitary napkins down their toilet and they start blocking the piping causing the flood in several units. Big notice went out to everyone not to flush things down the toilet that aren't meant to be flushed down.

Hope they purchased unit insurance. ;) Unfortunately no building can withstand stupid people if they are bent on breaking things and doing well... stupid things. In your case though, at least the faulty piping would be covered.

For the building though to add a bit to what I said, the only real noise beefs I've heard are from people facing sky train in units where their bedroom is against the glass. Basically the left and right 2 bedroom units facing skytrain in Park Place 2. They can hear the skytrain at night and for some it can be annoying. I live in a 1 bedroom unit so the bedroom is actually off the wall. My living/dining room is against the glass so acts as a buffer. I can hear the SkyTrain changing tracks sometimes through my ventilation though and if I'm in the living room and everything is quiet. It is very faint though and the ambulances make more noise.

So that's something to keep in mind. If you want a really quiet unit for outside noise you'd want to be on 1 of the inner units aka Park Place 2 facing Park Place 1 or vice versa. But the view won't be as nice. ;) Bit of a trade off.

Your friend though is probably right about sound proofing on the floors. I also notice that the even though it is concrete constructions, between the 2 middle 1 bedroom units (I'm in 1) they don't have a concrete wall so it is just a standard wall with metal struts. Had it been concrete the noise would be pretty much non-existant.

But what can you do. Nothing is perfect. :)

jhausner

Mar 22, 2012, 7:59 PM

I don't mind Infinity though I agree the street interaction is bad, especially for being at such a prime corner. Nothing we can do about that now though. As for the looks, I think even Park Place needs a paint job. I really REALLY don't like the grey concrete look. Even though they've painted it with a covering the grey just looks ugly to me. Same with the Surrey Central library. Looks unfinished and ugly. I would have loved to see some color thrown in.

If you're at street level it looks better because the commercial building at the base of Park Place is painted and looks a LOT more slick with the coloration. They just didn't extend it up to the towers. Distance shots don't give the towers justice but right at street level, the commercial makes it deceiving.

At the end of the day though, all 3 towers are getting more people down there and Park Place has pulled Concord Pacific to the area. They may not be the prettiest but they are some of the most important recent towers in the grand scheme of trying to bring people and developer to downtown Surrey.

skymaster

Apr 8, 2012, 11:07 PM

http://www.matconexcshoring.com/images/projects/infinity-full.jpg

skymaster

Apr 9, 2012, 5:25 AM

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5316/6913485736_6a4b29f00d_c.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/6913486022_b4c2779c5f_c.jpg

jhausner

Apr 9, 2012, 5:27 AM

Oh the days of the big giant empty lot and Holland Park being a big parking lot.

paradigm4

Apr 9, 2012, 7:58 AM

Oh the days of the big giant empty lot and Holland Park being a big parking lot.

What was that building that's now Best Buy? Didn't it used to be a Sears auto repair centre? Or am I completely nuts here

skymaster

Apr 9, 2012, 8:12 AM

What was that building that's now Best Buy? Didn't it used to be a Sears auto repair centre? Or am I completely nuts here

Yes your correct. They actually tore that repair center building down completely and started off from scratch. Remember when they used to have Sears where TNT is currently? After Sears left they turned it into Sears clearance center and now you've got TNT. Also, the Bay use to occupy the spot where Zellers currently is.

WarrenC12

Apr 9, 2012, 2:19 PM

How are those buildings to live in? What are the approximate rental prices that owners are asking/getting?

jhausner

Apr 9, 2012, 5:58 PM

What was that building that's now Best Buy? Didn't it used to be a Sears auto repair centre? Or am I completely nuts here

Yep.

jhausner

Apr 9, 2012, 6:02 PM

How are those buildings to live in? What are the approximate rental prices that owners are asking/getting?

Last I heard and that was a few months ago, 1 bedroom units are around $950 and 2 bedroom units $1150 give or take. And that's getting.

As for living in them, things are fine. I'm having no issues anymore. The elevators aren't as painful as they were now that the concierge isn't locking 2 of the 3 for moving every other day and only doing 1 now maximum. There were a lot of complaints that leaving 1 elevator open to service 36 floors is just insane. Someone finally listened. For a while there it was actually faster for me to WALK down 21 flights of stairs than wait for the elevator.

I like being able to walk 5 feet to Skytrain and the gym, though missing 1 or 2 machines for my Fitness World routines, is nice and convenient and I haven't stepped foot in Fitness World in about 3 months now.

CoryHolmes

Apr 9, 2012, 6:33 PM

I haven't stepped foot in Fitness World in about 3 months now.

At least I'm not the only one ;)

jhausner

Apr 10, 2012, 3:16 AM

At least I'm not the only one ;)

Lol we go to the gym in the building 3 times a week now instead of Fitness World is what I meant. :cool: Going to cancel my membership actually save $25 a month.

CoryHolmes

Apr 10, 2012, 5:51 AM

Lol we go to the gym in the building 3 times a week now instead of Fitness World is what I meant. :cool: Going to cancel my membership actually save $25 a month.

Yeah, I know what you meant ;) That's the part I'm looking forward to when I upgrade to a newer building: better amenities than what I have now.

skymaster

Apr 13, 2012, 2:13 AM

http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af28/Hongkongese/downtown/IMG_5877.jpg

Track

Apr 14, 2012, 3:45 PM

jhausner

Apr 14, 2012, 6:05 PM

Is there any word yet on retailers going into the complex next to King George? It seems to be done from a construction standpoint but it's just...sitting there. Seems like the perfect place for a coffee chain to go into, in my opinion.

Unfortunately leasing takes time in the commercial world. Concord did say a month ago that they are working with several businesses on long-term leasing but it is still in negotiation.

My guestimate just on what typically happens in these areas is that we'll see the first place start to set up by June/July. The longer the space isn't leased out, the longer Concord eats the maintenance costs so it's in their best interest to not wait forever. When it comes to commercial buildings you typically don't see it sit empty so long because they pre-lease before building. Look at the medical buildings down the road. They could have started construction 2 years ago but they were working on leasing. 1 is still working on leasing. So when they start constructing they are finalizing the lease details and after completion places have had time to prepare to move locations.

In the case of ground-retail they usually go on the market after the fact so it can take up to a year before businesses start to move in especially given the commercial aspect of Park Place wasn't finalized until the projects mid-point.

And I agree. You're going to see at least 1 coffee shop and 1 restaurant in the commercial space.

It's too prime a location to stay empty long term. Hell if I had the cash right now I'd open a Subway or Quiznos but my money is unfortunately tied up elsewhere right now. :-(

Track

Apr 14, 2012, 6:07 PM

Good to know that they're in talks; I wasn't sure if it was just the leasing process that was taking time, or a lack of interest from businesses.

CoryHolmes

Apr 28, 2012, 10:39 AM

I just registered for Park Avenue's website, and they're really pushing the 1-bedroom suites. Hopefully they are larger than the 1-bedroom suites in Park Place, but I'm not holding out much hope.

jhausner

May 3, 2012, 5:15 AM

I just registered for Park Avenue's website, and they're really pushing the 1-bedroom suites. Hopefully they are larger than the 1-bedroom suites in Park Place, but I'm not holding out much hope.

There are 2 sets of 1 bedroom suites in each tower. 1 set is 1-2 feet shorter in the living/dining room area. It makes a huge difference. I'm in a unit that is 2 feet larger and while 2 feet may not seem like much you do actually notice the difference.

I find my 1 bedroom unit fine in size. 2 of us living here and have no issue with our stuff fitting and bumping elbows. Then again we're set up to live fairly compact. I'd imagine if someone has a lot of stuff they'd be in trouble.

You're right though, I doubt the 1 bedrooms will be much larger if any. This unit isn't much smaller than the 1 bedroom units in Ultra. I found the Ultra layouts though to be a bit more odd shaped though you do get more counter and space from the get go.

Diet Butcher

Aug 20, 2012, 10:51 PM

Any more word when they are going to get going on "Park Avenue"?

jhausner

Aug 21, 2012, 4:49 PM

Nope. Everyone seems tight lipped. I wonder if it's at the stage now where Concord is going to wait until HST is gone. I hope not but we're getting closer and closer to that period (3-4 months before) where you're going to see a drop in investment/not-immediate purchases of real estate prior to the HST going away.

CoryHolmes

Sep 17, 2012, 7:19 AM

How goes renting / leasing the commercial space in the building by the station? Last I saw (months ago) it was empty.

skymaster

Sep 19, 2012, 12:26 AM

How goes renting / leasing the commercial space in the building by the station? Last I saw (months ago) it was empty.

Still empty

SpongeG

Sep 19, 2012, 7:21 AM

no need to rush in the nail salons and check cashing places

red-paladin

Sep 19, 2012, 4:21 PM

You forgot A&Ws and Subways!

CoryHolmes

Sep 19, 2012, 10:08 PM

You forgot A&Ws and Subways!

Hey now. A&W is fair game, but do not mock Subway! They have tasty food there.

red-paladin

Sep 19, 2012, 11:40 PM

Hey now. A&W is fair game, but do not mock Subway! They have tasty food there.

I'm not knocking it! I'm just saying there are so many Subways around that I walk by 4 on my way to work.

jhausner

Sep 19, 2012, 11:48 PM

Any more word when they are going to get going on "Park Avenue"?

Have word now, will go on sale early 2013 with construction slated to complete by 2015.

Cypherus

Sep 20, 2012, 3:51 AM

Have word now, will go on sale early 2013 with construction slated to complete by 2015.

Thanks for the update. I am assuming those who have already registered for Park Avenue would be given notice some time before Christmas.

Given the savory reviews for Park Place, I am sure Park Avenue will also be popular. Let's hope their 1 bedroom units have a better layout - with the bedrooms having a window wall rather than using french doors to channel day light into the windowless room.

As for the two year construction timeline of the new towers, that area is going to be buzzing again. But ongoing construction noise for southern-facing current residents of Park Place 2 might be an issue during the warmer months.

CoryHolmes

Sep 20, 2012, 6:53 AM

Let's hope their 1 bedroom units have a better layout - with the bedrooms having a window wall rather than using french doors to channel day light into the windowless room.

Personally, I'm hoping for larger 2-bedroom suites, and maybe even some 3-beds. Park Place had some good stuff, but kind of small and almost too many suites in the building.

I almost bought a 2-bed suite in Plaza 88 that was around 1100 sq.ft. If we can get something like that in Park Avenue, I'll be a very happy man indeed :)

jhausner

Sep 21, 2012, 4:56 AM

Thanks for the update. I am assuming those who have already registered for Park Avenue would be given notice some time before Christmas.

Given the savory reviews for Park Place, I am sure Park Avenue will also be popular. Let's hope their 1 bedroom units have a better layout - with the bedrooms having a window wall rather than using french doors to channel day light into the windowless room.

As for the two year construction timeline of the new towers, that area is going to be buzzing again. But ongoing construction noise for southern-facing current residents of Park Place 2 might be an issue during the warmer months.

Won't affect us (being a south facing PP2) because Park Avenue part 1 will be the Sky Towers project site which is on the corner of 100th and Whalley Blvd. That means it would be the east facing PP2 and PP1 that would be affected. We'll be affected when the second phase of Park Avenue take place between PP2 and the SkyTrain station.

Either way though, on the 1 bedroom, that's what I own and I don't mind it. I find it extremely hot in the living area right now during the summer (and have an air conditioner unit to try and help + ceiling fan I had installed for circulation). I couldn't imagine having my bedroom right against the wall because the air flow is actually low facing south I find and the bedroom would be 10 times hotter.

I feel for the 2 bedroom units facing south. On the flip side, in the Winter we didn't have our heater on ever. Even though it was cold the greenhouse affect was enough to keep the place warm even in Winter without heater on so my hydro bill was about $20 a month in the winter... :-P

When they build phase 2 though of Park Avenue the building will block a lot of the Sun so the temperature will be better. Less of a view but as long as I can see Mount Baker I'm fine. ;) I'll be out of this unit by then anyway. Next few years we'll be upgrading to a townhouse and will just rent this unit out.